Investor Presentaiton
community."169 Gitelman, like Slezkine, notes that the adoption of Russian culture was
incredibly popular among Jews because it dramatically increased economic opportunities and the
chance for social mobility. .170 Therefore the efforts of the Evkom and the Evsektsiia overall failed
because their primary tactic was to reach the Yiddish-speaking section within the Soviet-Jewish
population by providing information and propaganda on Bolshevism in Yiddish. But as most
Jews were far more interested in integrating fully into the Russian- speaking community and
Russian culture, the groups, and the state's larger attempt to redefine nationality for Jews, both
failed.
171
The government's inability to connect with the Yiddish-speaking Jewish community and
impose a redefined national identity is a major aspect of the assimilation theme of the 1920's
relationship between the Soviet government and the Soviet Jewish community. The Jewish-
focused policies of the 1920s were also characteristic of the government's broader "socialist in
content, national in form” approach to all nationalities. 172 Due to their unpopularity and Stalin's
changing priorities, both the Evkom and the Evsektsiia would be gone by 1930. At that point,
Jews were much more integrated in Soviet society than they were in previous years, just not
necessarily in the way Stalin had intended.
Kaganovich in Soviet Politics
The assimilation policies promoted by Stalin were not relevant to Kaganovich because at
that time, he was already fully integrated into not only the Soviet system, but Stalin's closest
allies as well. By the end of the 1920s Kaganovich would move beyond just being a trusted ally
169 Ibid.
170 Ibid, 13.
171 Ibid, 14.
172 Ibid, 12.
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